Frosty Drew Clear Sky Chart

Current seeing conditions at Frosty Drew Observatory

The Sun and Moon Today

  • The Sun as seen today from NASA SDO.
  • Waning Gibbous 75% phase

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Astronomy Picture of the Day

Satellite Events for Tonight

Newly-Discovered Interstellar Comet is Billions of Years Older Than the Solar System

Reported by Universe Today

All eyes are on the newly discovered interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, currently inbound to the inner solar system. Initial observations have revealed that it's rich in water ice, and it's believed that it originated from the Milky Way's thick disk, ancient st...
  • By: David Dickinson (https://www.universetoday.com/authors/david-dickinson)
  • On: Wed, 16 Jul 2025 01:22 +0000

This Planet's Death Spiral Could Teach Us A Lesson About Rocky Exoplanets

Reported by Universe Today

Macquarie University astronomers have tracked an extreme planet's orbital decay, confirming it is spiraling toward its star in a cosmic death dance that could end in three possible ways. It could cross the Roche line and be torn apart, it could plunge to d...
  • By: Evan Gough (https://www.universetoday.com/authors/ion23drive)
  • On: Wed, 16 Jul 2025 01:22 +0000

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Could Find More Very Massive Stars

Reported by Universe Today

Very massive stars (VMSs)have had a massive impact on the formation of our universe. However, there aren’t very many of them, with only around 20 known specimens in the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud. Even observing those is difficult for the curre...
  • By: Andy Tomaswick (https://www.universetoday.com/authors/andy-tomaswick)
  • On: Wed, 16 Jul 2025 01:22 +0000

Synthetic Biology Could Support Future Outposts on the Moon and Mars

Reported by Universe Today

When we leave Earth, we have to bring everything with us, from the air we breathe to the food we eat. For example, a 6-person, 1000-day mission might require 108 tonnes of food. In a new paper, researchers suggest ways that synthetic biology could allow us...
  • By: Mark Thompson (https://www.universetoday.com/authors/mark)
  • On: Wed, 16 Jul 2025 01:22 +0000

Astronomers Use the Colours of Trans-Neptunian Objects' to Track an Ancient Stellar Flyby

Reported by Universe Today

Trans-Neptunian Objects reside in the distant Solar System as remnants of the System's early days. They follow unusual orbits and range in colour from reds to greys. New research uses their colours and orbits to show how a stellar flyby can account for the...
  • By: Evan Gough (https://www.universetoday.com/authors/ion23drive)
  • On: Wed, 16 Jul 2025 01:22 +0000

To Find Another Earth, We Need to Understand Atmospheric Escape

Reported by Universe Today

Atmospheric escape shapes an exoplanet's future. Earth's exosphere is extended and detectable due to ocean-related atmospheric escape. If we can detect the same features on an exoplanet, it could suggest oceans and habitability. But we need to build the Ha...
  • By: Evan Gough (https://www.universetoday.com/authors/ion23drive)
  • On: Wed, 16 Jul 2025 01:22 +0000